Westport Island selectmen on Monday night handled committee appointments and a stop work order and discussed the comprehensive plan.

The island has a very active history committee. Selectmen appointed Dennis Dunbar and Joseph Foye as associate members through June 30, 2018.

Selectmen and other town officials will appear in Lincoln County Superior Court next week before Superior Court Justice Daniel Billings on the Baker Road property dispute with Leslie Lilly and her husband David Wollins.

In a lawsuit filed in 2015, the couple is claiming that a portion of the road is their private driveway.  The town disputes the couple’s ownership and states that the section of the road has been a town way for centuries, according to maps submitted to the court by the town. A trial was scheduled for Oct. 5.

In another property issue, Code Enforcement Officer Gary Richardson has sent a letter to resident Robert Nelson advising him to stop work on his Log Cabin Road property. The letter states a building permit cannot be issued for the work because structures would be placed within the 75-foot protected buffer from the shore. In addition, Richardson stated that construction had begun without a permit on stairs and platforms, part of which are within the 75-foot setback. The letter also explains that approval for the projects will be needed from the Department of Environmental Protection as well.  The fee for construction without a permit is triple the usual fee.

The town is seeking residents for the 2017 comprehensive planning committee to update the town’s plan.  Towns use the plans as a basis for zoning ordinances and to ensure that zoning is not applied arbitrarily. Selectmen are seeking volunteers from various town committees, positions and interests, including conservation, planning, harbor and shellfish, roads, plumbing, fire and EMA and history. Suggestions for committee members can be offered to the selectmen. The last comprehensive plan addressed natural resources, population, economy, land use, housing, transportation, public facilities and services and capital management.